The law will take its course:

Perpetrators will be brought to book – Keheliya Rambukwella

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that this was not the appropriate time to find who is right or wrong on the untoward incidents in Aluthgama and Beruwala recently. We need to make an assessment on the destruction and ensure that similar incidents would not recur and let the law takes its course to bring the perpetrators to book, the Minister told the Sunday Observer.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a couple of hours after his return to the country from Bolivia visited those areas and met religious leaders, public representatives and those affected and inquired about the situation.

He said that an impartial investigation will be conducted to bring all perpetrators to book irrespective of race or religious affiliations. The President told the Cabinet Ministers to discuss the matter with all religious leaders.

“The Government is taking every possible step to ensure harmony between the communities following an isolated incident.

The Minister said that there is no use of pointing an accusing finger at one another since all may have contributed to it. As a result, the Muslims and the Sinhalese were affected.”

This cannot be the world’s first or the last incident. This kind of incidents could happen in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society.

This does not mean that we would justify this incident, because the prevailing situation may affect all.

There are certain disgruntled politicians who are attempting to take undue political advantage from this situation. Therefore, I call upon the media to extend its support to check extremism. It is regreted that the international media too had reported a completely different story.

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told Thursday’s Cabinet press briefing that of the 55 persons arrested in connection with this incident, 35 had been remanded. Of them, seven were Muslims and all others Sinhalese.

Three deaths had been reported while 31 people had been injured of whom 17 are Sinhalese and 14 Muslims. The police received 138 complaints on vandalism, mischief and damage to personal property in Welipenna, Beruwala and the Aluthgama police areas, he said.